Coroner Simon Cooper sets date for inquiry into four Targa Tasmania rally deaths
The future of Targa Tasmania hinges on a formal inquest into the deaths of four rally drivers who were killed in crashes during 2021 and 2022 events. The inquiry’s date has now been set.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A formal inquest into the deaths of four rally drivers who were killed in Targa Tasmania crashes during 2021 and 2022 will begin in August, coroner Simon Cooper has directed.
At a case management conference in Hobart on Monday, Coroner Cooper set Monday 26 August as the first day of the inquest that will examine the deaths of Vincent Navin, Leigh Mundy, Dennis Neagle, and Anthony Seymour.
In the 2021 edition of Targa, veteran driver Mr Navin died on the West Coast during the event’s Mt Arrowsmith stage, when his 1979 Mazda RX-7 plunged 10m off the road and landed in Double Barrell Creek.
The 68-year-old became the third fatality in Targa Tasmania’s then-29-year history, but tragedy struck again just the very next day when 68-year-old Hobart man Leigh Mundy, 68, and his Queensland co-driver Dennis Neagle, 59, died after their Porsche GT3 RS hit a tree at Cygnet.
The rest of the 2021 event was then downgraded to touring only, with Motorsport Australia announcing it would review the deaths and establish an investigatory tribunal.
Although Targa implemented all 17 recommendations from the review for the 2022 race, including a cap of maximum speeds of 200km/h for the top categories, another rally driver died just two days into the event.
Brisbane driver Anthony Seymour, 59, was killed when his car left the road on the Mount Roland stage and crashed down a bank.
Last year, Targa Tasmania announced it would not go ahead in 2023 or 2024, but would return in April 2025 subject to all the findings of the coronial inquest being released.
More Coverage
Originally published as Coroner Simon Cooper sets date for inquiry into four Targa Tasmania rally deaths
‘How dare you’: Grandfather’s outburst to accusation
A grandfather has defended his wife in an abuse case alleging depraved punishments of her four grandchildren. Here’s what he said.
Meet the Wooden Boat Centre’s first ever apprentice
All hands on deck are needed at the Wooden Boat Centre following a surge in restoration projects. It led to Tynan Herington joining the crew as the centre’s first apprentice.